Spike.



J. F. CRAVEN.

SPIKE;

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 3, 1915- Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

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AS ANT FFTQE.

SPIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Application filed November 3, 1915. Serial No. 59,395.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns- F. CRAVEN, a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to driven fastening devices, such as railway spikes or the like.

The common railway spike is retained in the tie by its frictional grip on the side walls of the opening which it formswhen driven into the tie. Adjustments of grade, repairs to track and other causes frequently require removal of the rails and withdrawal of the spikes. When the withdrawn spikes are driven into their original holes the grip of the tie thereon is not sufficient to prevent the rail from working loose, and even if the holes are plugged the plugs soon rot so that the spike works loose. Consequently it is necessary to drive each spike into a new place in the tie, thereby cutting the same so seriously that a proper hold of the spike cannot be secured and accidents may occur or the tie must be discarded.

The object ofthe present invention is to provide a simple form of self-locking spike which is held in the tie not so much by the friction of the spike on the side walls of the hole in which it lies as by the form of the spike, whose lower end is larger or engages a wider area of the tie than its upper end, whereby it cannot be withdrawnas a whole from the tie and consequently cannot escape therefrom in service.

A further object of the invention is to provide a self-locking spike which can be readily driven into the tie, which is easily withdrawn therefrom when desired, and which can be replaced ,in the same hole .without decreasing its binding and holding effect, whereby the tie is not. deformed and can be used for a longer period.

A further object of the invention is to provide a self-locking railway spike which may be made lighter than the usual forms of spike and consequently costs less for material, and one which can be made by ordinary forging or upsetting operations and is therefore cheap to manufacture.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

The invention comprises the driven fastening device hereinafter described and claimed. 7

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of spike embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation from the right in Fig. 1; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are cross sections on the lines 8-3, H, and 5-5, Fig. '1; Fig. 6 represents a sectional elevation of another form of spike, and in full lines indicating one member of the spike fully driven and the other member partly driven, and in dotted lines indicating the final position of the second member; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the members of the spike; Fig. 8 is an end elevation thereof from the left in Fig. 7 Fig. 9 is a plan view of the member shown in Fig. 7 Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are views corresponding to Figs. 7, 8 and 9, and showing the other spike member; Fig. 13 is a cross section on the line 13-43, Fig. 6; and Fig. 1 1 is a similar cross section showing a modification.

Referring to the drawings, the spike illustrated comprises two members marked re spectively A and B, which are adapted to be driven into the spike side by side so that in their final position both members engage the rail C, and which'members are provided with relatively sliding interengaging or abutting parts which guide one member relatively to the other during the driving operation, and wholly prevent their simultaneous removal.

In Fig. 1, member A comprises a straight shank 10 whose cross sectional area is approximately one half of the area of the usual form of spike. At its lower end said member is provided with the usual chisel end, the cutting edge 11 of which is disposed transversely to the head 12, which has the usual laterally extending ear 13 arranged to engage over the base of the rail in the final seated position of the spike, as

shown in Fig. 1. The head 12 also extends laterally from one side of the shank, as shown in Fig. 2, but on the other side of the shank is flush with its surface, for a purpose which .will hereinafter appear. This last named surface of the shank, hereinafter termed its inner surface, is provided with an interengaging part, either a shoulder, abutment, rib or groove, to engage with or abut a cooperating part of the other member of the spike.

In Figs. 1 to 5 the inner surface of memher A is provided with a shoulder 14 which cooperates with a shoulder or abutment formed by the inner rear corner or angle 1 1 of the other spike member B and lies behind and beneath the same in the final driven position of the spike shown in Fig. 1. In Figs. 6 to 13 inclusive member A is shown provided with a rib 14 to cooperate with a groove 1a on the other spike member B, although obviously these parts can be reversed if desired. Said rib may be of any suitable chape in cross section, and in Fig. 13 is rectangular. In the form illustrated in Fig. 14: the rib is undercut on one side, as at 15, to fit a'corresponding undercut portion of the groove on the other member of the spike in which it lies, and which undercut faces prevent separation of the members of the spike from each other in a horizontal direction. This feature is unnecessary, how ever, and may be omitted. The second member B of the spike is symmetrical with member A so far as its head is concerned. In other words, its head 12 has a lateral ear 13 to engage over thebase of the rail, and also projects out from one side of the shank and is flush with the surface of the other side thereof, to wit, its inner surface, as shown in Figs. 2 and 12. Whereas the shank 10 of member A is straight from end to end and its axis is perpendicular to the plane of the horizontal head 12, the major portion of the shank 16 of member B lies at an angle to the horizontal plane of the head 12 thereof, although the axis of the upper portion 17 of the shank may be perpendicular to the plane of the head, as in the form shown in Fig. 10. The lower end of the shank 16 of member B is alsoprovided with a chisel edge 18, but said edge is parallel instead of transverse to the length of the head 12 and extension 13*. Consequently in the final driven position of the two spike members the chisel edges at their lower ends are normal to each other, and one thereof, say the chisel edge 11, lies across the grain of the tie, while the other, say the chisel edge 18, lies parallel with the grain.

The interlocking shoulder 14: and cooperating angle 1 1 of Fig. 1, or the rib and groove lat 14, of Fig. 6 are straight from end to end and slide longitudinally relatively to each other in driving the spike. They are also disposed parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shank of one or the other of the spike members. In the particularform shown said rib and groove are parallel with the axis of the shank of member B, which lies at an angle to the horizontal plane of its head 12*. They are consequently also at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the other member A of the spike, as will clearly appear from Figs. 1 and 6. This form of spike requires no modification whatever in the railway equipment with tie plate and driven in in a truly vertical position until the car 13 of its head 12 seats firmly against'the base of the rail, as shown in Fig. 6. In this position a portion of the upper end of the shank, with the inclined abutment 1A or rib 14; thereon, is exposed above the tie plate and forms a guide for driving the second member B of the spike, which is driven in beside member A in the direction of the abutment or rib thereon. In Fig. 6 the full lines indicate member B driven part way in, while Fig. 1 and the dotted lines in Fig. 6 indicate the final position of said member. In the final position the shanks of the two members of the spike diverge and consequently extend over a wider horizontal area at their lower ends than just beneath the head. Theabutment 14. lies under the corner or angle of member B in Fig. 1, while the rib lt lies in groove 14 in Fig. 6. Consequently the two members together cannot be withdrawn through the opening in the tie plate. However, the spike can be withdrawn whenever desired by first pulling out member B in the inclined direction, and then withdrawing member A in the vertical direction. This operation does not tear or injure the fibers of the wood so that the two members of the spike can be re-inserted into the identical hole from which they were withdrawn without decreasing the holding effect of the spike in the tie .or further deforming the same.

The straight portion 17 of the shank of member B, Fig. 10, in the final position of said member, is parallel with the shank of the other member of the spike. These par.- allel portions lie in the opening in the tie plate. The chisel edge of the member A is placed crosswise of its head so that it cuts across the fibers in driving it into the tie and therefore easily opens the proper cavity a edge is on its outer surface and consequently tends t0 wedge said member more firmly against its cooperating member A while driving the same. This spike is held in the tiemainly by its enlarged lower endwhich cannot be withdrawn tliroiigh the opening into which it is driven, although of course its surfaces have a frictional engagement with the sides of the cavity in which it lies (practically as much as the ordinary spike), which therefore increases the holding effect. Nevertheless the positive hold of the spike in the tie enables it to be made materially shorter and lighter than the usual form of spike and still have a greater hold in the tie. This reduction in Weight decreases the amount of metal and practically ofisets any increased cost due to the formation of the shoulder on member A, Fig. 1, or the rib and groove on the two members in Fig. 6. Consequently the spike is practically as cheap to manufacture as the usual form.

While in the description I have referred particularly to railway spikes, it will of course be understood that the invention may beapplied to any form of driven fastening device and that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the claims without departing from the invention.

What I claim is 1. A driven fastening device, comprising two members adapted to be driven in side by side and whose shanks lie at an angle to each other, said members having sliding locking engagement with each other and each having a head adapted to engage the part to be fastened.

:2. A driven fastening device, comprising two members adapted to be driven in side by side and whose shanks lie at an angle to each other, said members being provided with locking connections adapted to prevent them from being together withdrawn but permitting one thereof to be withdrawn independently of the other and each having a head adapted to engage the part to be fastened.

3. A driven fastening device, comprising two members adapted to be driven in side by side and provided with shanks lying at an angle to each other, one of said shanks being provided on one side with a longitudinal shoulder and the other with an abutting portion sliding over said shoulder, each of said members being provided with ahead adapted to engage the part to be fastened.

4. A driven fastening device, comprising two members adapted to be driven in side by side and each provided with a shank and a head extending laterally into engagement with the part to be fastened, the shanks of said two members lying at an angle to each other, and sliding locking connections between said shanks.

5. A driven fastening device, comprising two members adapted to be driven in side by side and each provided with a shank and a head extending laterally into engagement with the part to be fastened, the shanks of said two members lying at an angle to each other, one of said shanks being provided on one side face with a longitudinal shoulder and the other on a cooperating side face with an abutting portion sliding over said shoulder.

6. A driven fastening device, comprising two members adapted to be driven in side by side, each of said members being provided with a shank and a laterally extending head, said shanks being provided at their lower ends with chisel edges disposed at right angles to each other.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES F. CRAVEN. Witnesses:

ELBERT L. HYDE, GLENN H. LERESCHE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

